David Baldacci biography

David Baldacci

David Baldacci Biography

David published his first novel, Absolute Power, in 1996. A major motion picture adaptation followed, with Clint Eastwood as its director and star. In total, David has published 32 novels for adults; all have been national and international bestsellers, and several have been adapted for film and television. His novels have been translated into more than 45 languages and sold in more than 80 countries; over 110 million copies are in print worldwide. David has also published five novels for younger readers.

A lifelong Virginian, David received his Bachelor's degree from Virginia Commonwealth University and his law degree from the University of Virginia School of Law, after which he practiced law in Washington, D.C.

While David is involved with several philanthropic organizations, his greatest efforts are dedicated to his family's Wish You Well Foundation®. Established by David and his wife, Michelle, the Wish You Well Foundation supports family and adult literacy in the United States by fostering and promoting the development and expansion of literacy and educational programs. In 2008 the Foundation partnered with Feeding America to launch Feeding Body & Mind, a program to address the connection between literacy, poverty and hunger. Through Feeding Body & Mind, more than 1 million new and gently used books have been collected and distributed through food banks to families in need.

This bio was last updated on 10/16/2016. We try to keep BookBrowse's biographies both up to date and accurate, but with many thousands of lives to keep track of it's a tough task. So, please help us - if the information about this author is out of date or inaccurate, and you know of a more complete source, please let us know. Authors and publishers: If you wish to make changes to a bio, send the complete biography as you would like it displayed so that we can replace the old with the new.

Interview

David Baldacci discusses Last Man Standing, the book's leading character - Web
London, and the possibilities for developing a series of thrillers based on the
character of London.

Q. You exhibit quite an extensive knowledge of the FBI in general and
specifically the Hostage Rescue Team (HRT). How did you do your research?
A. I had been fascinated by the HRT for some time and I wanted to make my main
character, Web London, an HRT operator. I visited the HRT's headquarters, toured
the facilities, spend time with HRT operators, asked a zillion questions, read
everything I could find on them. I really wanted to get into their heads and
hearts to bring it all to life on the pages. I think I succeeded.

Q. There's a nonfiction book out right now called Cold
Zero by Christopher
Whitcomb which is a first person account of life inside the FBI and the HRT.
What do you think of his book and has he had any influence on you?
A. Cold Zero
is wonderful. I read it in one sitting. A profound look at a very complex
subject. Christopher
Whitcomb was an enormous help to me, my main contact at HRT. My book is far
better for his help and input.

Q. What was the most helpful thing Christopher
Whitcomb told you? What was the most surprising?
A. He allowed me to get into the heads not only of the agents, but of the
spouses, which I really wanted to do because I dealt with a lot of the spouses
of the HRT ...

Readalikes

All the books below are recommended as readalikes for David Baldacci but some maybe more relevant to you than others depending on which books by the author you have read and enjoyed. So look for the suggested read-alikes by title linked on the right.
How we choose readalikes

Harlan Coben was born and raised in New Jersey. After graduating from Amherst College as political science major,
he
worked in the travel industry. He now lives in New Jersey with his wife, Anne Armstrong-Coben MD, a...
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Jeffery Deaver is an American mystery/crime writer. He has a bachelor of journalism degree from the University of Missouri and a law degree from Fordham University and originally started working as a journalist. He later ...
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